Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government will take legal steps against Delhi Police if it doesn t accept that it erred in raiding the Kerala House in Delhi to check if beef was being served there, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Wednesday. Chandy told the media after a cabinet meeting that his government was waiting for a response from Delhi Police over its Monday raid that triggered a huge row.

The action by Delhi Police was not acceptable in any way, Chandy said, adding he had expressed the Kerala government s anguish to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh. "I have read their (police) response in the media and we will not accept such a response," he said. "We will wait for some more time, and if they do not own up their mistake, we will go forward with legal steps," he said.

"The action by Delhi Police smacks of lack of respect to centre-state relations. Because of this, these relations have come under the scanner. "It was a needless act because the rules are very clear that the authority to conduct an inspection is the animal husbandry official or a veterinarian. "The police just do not have the authority to do what they did and that s what has hurt us," the chief minister said.

The Congress veteran said: "The law in Delhi is clear that no cow meat can be served. But there is no bar on buffalo meat. We make it very clear that buffalo meat will be served in Kerala House as long as the rule of law permits." On Monday, some 20 Delhi Police officers raided the Kerala House following a complaint that cow meat was being served in its canteen. Delhi Police insisted it was no raid and they had done no wrong.

But what Kerala House served was carabeef or buffalo meat although it too is called beef in English. Chandy said: "We feel the action was meant to create fear in the minds of people." He added that Delhi Police should have, before raiding the premises, given in writing to the Resident Commissioner at the Kerala House as the property belongs to the Kerala government.